GEORGE TOWN – Screening for Covid-19 is not as complicated and tedious as it is imagined to be.
In fact, tests for the coronavirus can be done at home without the help of medical personnel – more so now when the vaccination drive is underway, requiring healthcare teams to prioritise the inoculation process, making screening secondary.
Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) Penang chapter chairman Dato Jimmy Ong told The Vibes that unlike conventional testing procedures, saliva tests can be performed at home.
“Currently, our healthcare teams are busy with ensuring the vaccination programme is carried out promptly and effectively.
“Therefore, screening must not only be made available and affordable but also done without increasing the workload of healthcare providers. Saliva tests are one way to screen for Covid-19,” he said.
Saliva test kits have been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for emergency use.
It is now widely used in many countries, especially universities and schools to identify positive cases and isolate them before the virus is spread.
Indonesia has recently rolled out saliva testing kits as clinical trials revealed the kit has 94% sensitivity and 98% specificity.
Ong said for the economy to reopen safely, testing of such nature should be made available at the workplace, especially at manufacturing sites, in schools, and at home, citing cases of students being infected by their parents who worked at industrial zones.
Two days ago, International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali responded to Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow’s repeat request to look into “industrial clusters” which needs to be prioritised as vaccine recipients.
Azmin said manufacturing and industrial workers, especially in Penang and Selangor, will be given priority to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.
However, no date has been fixed for the inoculation process. – The Vibes, April 15, 2021
